Design and much more The new VitraHaus in the Architecture Park, Weil am Rhein

State-of-the-art GEZE door, window and safety technology

Vitra – this name stands for "crème de la crème", the designer furniture for the office, for public buildings and for the home. The Vitra product range includes numerous works by contemporary designers, such as Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Antonio Citterio and Hella Jongerius as well as classics by Charles and Ray Eames and George Nelson. On the company's VitraCampus site in Weil am Rhein, a museum together with show and event buildings have been built in the immediate vicinity of the production buildings. Each of the buildings has its architect; the list reads like a "Who’s who" of architecture. For example, the white Vitra Design Museum was built to designs by Frank O. Gehry, the conference pavilion was designed by Tadao Ando.

Another highlight, the VitraHaus as the showroom of the Vitra Home Collection, was recently handed over for its intended purpose. The star architects from Basel, Herzog & de Meuron, realised a four-story sculptural installation, which asserts itself like a randomly piled stack of black pitched roof houses. They are so layered and piled up that complex structures result, in which interior and exterior penetrate.

Maximum transparency and design with door solutions made of glass

The innovative functionality, the efficiency and the outstanding design of GEZE's door and safety technology underpin the extraordinary architecture of the VitraHaus and provide the necessary building safety. Starting with the central entrance: The automatic all-glass revolving door was built far inside the foyer and can be looked through, deep inside the new building just like the glazed gable ends. The four-leaf all-glass revolving door, type TSA 325 NT copes with large numbers of the public and combines convenient accessibility with first-class GEZE design. The drum walls, door leaves and the roof are completely made of glass and, with their fine framing, offer maximum transparency. The middle pillar has been completely omitted and emphasises the transparent and open look. Like all GEZE's revolving doors, the TSA 325 NT sets itself apart through the latest safety standards and includes non-contact acting safety devices.

Remove barriers

The necessary convenient access, especially for visitors to the VitraHaus with restricted mobility, is provided by an automatic barrier-free swing door in the immediate vicinity of the revolving door. Fine-framed and filigree, the two swing door leaves are moved by slender Slimdrive EMD-F drive units. The door system's technology determines the look. GEZE's Slimdrive drives are, uniquely on the market, only 70 millimetres high and discretely fit into the glass façade design. Following activation by pressing a button, the door automatically opens from the inside and can also be opened manually. Access from the outside is controlled and monitored by an access control system. Slimdrive EMD swing door systems are tested safety to DIN 18650.

Cross-system safety

The systemic concept of GEZE products which, in case of danger, opens doors and windows in a coordinated way, is especially beneficial in this door: In case of fire, the central control unit of the smoke and heat extraction system (RWA) activates the electro-mechanically opening panic lock IQ lock, which unlocks the door and pushes it open via the drive. In case of fire, the Slimdrive EMD-F swing door system acts as the necessary fresh air vent and as an escape route door to the outside. With the self-locking panic lock, the building is also secured against unauthorised entry at all times. The interaction of the GEZE RWA, panic lock and door drive components therefore combine convenient access and safety for people and property.

Door control units are the "brain" of an escape route system. Distributed throughout the whole building, the type TZ 320 secure and monitor opening and closing movements in all escape routes. They allow authorised persons to pass through a door and release the life-saving routes in an emergency. The escape route doors equipped with the TZ 320 can be monitored centrally from the TE 220 control panel by the persons responsible for safety technology in the building. Manipulation or unauthorised opening can therefore be noted and followed-up immediately. With TZ 320 door control units, tailormade escape route solutions were realised in the whole building.

Door closer technology – function, safety and design

Design is everything in the VitraHaus: Even better when the functions are elegantly packed in it. GEZE's integrated door closers contribute to this. Single and double-leaf swing doors were equipped with integrated Boxer series door closers. They are completely installed in the door leaf, are almost invisible and architects love them. The GEZE Boxer E-ISM system is equipped with an elegant guide rail, which includes the integrated electromagnetic (E) hold-open devices for both door leaves and an integrated closing sequence control. Therefore, in case of fire, fixed and active leaves safely and automatically close in the right order.

Single-leaf fire and smoke control doors in the rear of the VitraHaus were equipped with overhead TS 5000 R door closers. The electromechanical hold-open device of the doors can be continuously set between 80° and 130°. The hold-open position can also be overridden so that, in case of danger, the door leaves ensure the greatest possible opening. This function is integrated in the guide rail, as is the smoke switch, which activates in case of fire and automatically closes the door. Unattractive, obtrusive smoke detectors which disturb the room's design are therefore, a thing of the past when the GEZE TS 5000 R is used. Wide passages, transparency and safety are produced at the double-leaf fire and smoke doors with the TS 5000 ISM door closer system with two door closers.